The Internet has become an important part of daily life. Every day, millions of users use the Internet to access social media and other web pages of interest. Users log on to their online banking accounts and perform transactions using the Internet. Users of the Internet can encounter many threats. For example, hackers can create malicious websites that appear to be real bank websites and trick account holders into giving away their login credentials. The hackers then use the login credentials to access the bank accounts and steal financial assets. Alternatively, malicious software (malware) can exploit security loopholes in users' computers, causing viruses to be downloaded and installed without any action on the part of the users. Sneaky malware can also disguise itself as a legitimate software download and cause network gateways of organizations to be compromised when the software is downloaded and/or executed. Accordingly, the threats encountered by the use of the Internet can lead to potential loss of personal information and financial assets, for both individuals and organizations.
Because of the increasing number of new and unknown web pages, some of which are potentially malicious, there is a need for methods, devices, and systems to accurately classify unknown websites and web domains for improved cybersecurity.